Goran Ivanisevic was a key figure in Novak Djokovic’s coaching set-up before the pair decided to part ways earlier this year, but the Croatian has made a fortune

Novak Djokovic has a financial agreement in place with Goran Ivanisevic (Image: (Image: Getty))

Goran Ivanisevic, coach to tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, is taking a breather from the coaching scene. Ivanisevic, who saw Djokovic amass 24 Grand Slam singles titles and multiple records, confirmed their split this past March.

Djokovic, 37, took to social media to share his gratitude for Ivanisevic’s contributions: “I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team,” he reminisced. “It was back in 2018, and Marian [Vajda] and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo.

“In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year-end no1 rankings, record-breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then.”

Despite stepping away after reported burnout that began at last year’s US Open, Ivanisevic remains on excellent terms with the former world No. 1.

Also, it appears there’s little financial pressure on the 53 year old coach to rush back into the fray, as his paycheck from Djokovic’s triumphs has been quite hefty.

Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time (Image: (Image: Getty))

The Serbian Alo daily has hinted at Ivanisevic’s yearly income ranging somewhere between $326,000 to $545,000. Having partnered with Djokovic for an impressive six years, estimates suggest his earnings may have climbed upwards of $3.2million, excluding bonus windfalls for those high-profile victories.

The financial intricacies in sports can be quite complex, and for top-shelf tennis coaches, a 10 per cent slice of a player’s winnings is not out of the ordinary. In the spotlight stands Novak Djokovic, who made waves last year by clinching three majors and stopping just shy at the Wimbledon final.

This string of victories resulted in Djokovic pocketing approximately $13 million in prize money, setting a new benchmark for the most Grand Slam titles captured by a male singles player. Although the exact sum Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach, walked away with remains undisclosed, if he received a 10 per cent cut, he’d have cashed in a hefty $1.3 million bonus.

Ivanisevic has even compared coaching Djokovic to managing an elite football club like Real Madrid due to the combined honor and responsibility such prominence entails. “Well, it was exciting, a great honour, a big responsibility, I am very proud. It was turbulent, not regarding our collaboration, but turbulent because of everything that happened,” Ivanisevic divulged to Tennis Majors, discussing the grit of steering a ship with Djokovic on board.

He continued, wryly noting his career trend: “We were joking in the team, wherever I go there always follows some s*** and unfortunately that’s exactly how it started from 2019: the shoulder injury at the US Open, then everything that followed with the coronavirus… But, he is an institution, Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time, actually one of the greatest athletes of all time.”

Acknowledging the pressures of coaching top-tier tennis, Novak Djokovic’s coach reflected on his experience: “I get that people have the need to write something, say something, give advice, leave comments, I mean, you are always in the spotlight, as the coach you are always to blame, when Marian (Vajda) was there we shared that together but when he left I was left alone in the firing line.”

He also expressed gratitude for his time with Djokovic: “However, I am eternally grateful to Novak, he offered me an opportunity and I made the most of that opportunity. The results speak for themselves, no one can ever take them away or erase them, they are written in black and white. All in all, five wonderful years.”